, 1887-06-16
QUEENS OF THE DUDES.
something About Reisning Favorites OF
the Footlights.
Especial Correspondence
NEW YORK. Jun

&"
bucks" "fops," "swells," and down to our
own darling dudes have at all times had some
common object of alteration toward whom
the eyes of all were turned and whose capri
clous favor all strove TO obtain. The dude
OF the middle ages was, to be sure u very
different creature from the dude of to-day,
but in the linightly chronicles of Froissart we
read how the medieval swell used to get his
gilded nrmor all mlissed up and risk his own
precious neck in the Journeys in honor of the
queen of youth and beauty.
The reign of each of these queens has been
short and has left but small impress upon the
history of the world but each in her time
was, no doubt, the all absorbing object of tho
alteration of the jcunesse doree of her age, as
our present queens of the dudes are to-day,
but when hcr brief reign was over she did not
pass into history She was forgotten. Ade-
luide Nelson Is but name to younger
generation of play goers as Lillian Russell
and Pauline Hall will be to the next. For
the queens of the dudes have for he last CEN
tury been divinities of the footlights, and il
is in the lime lights glare that we must look
for the queens of dudedom of today.
Lillian Russell was the first upon whom the
regal title was bestowed by the press, and she
deserved it, too, for young New York went
mad over her bnby face and pretty ways; but
Lillian is getting in the sere and yellow now,
aud holds her scepter with faltering grip;
besides she Is growing fnt, and fat queen Is
out Of the question. Born in Clinton, Ia, in
December, 1861 she made her first appear
ance MS vioinist in Chicago. When she
came To New Horl. u little later she decided
to give up the violin and trust for success TO
her face, which was remarkably pretty, and
her voice, which was only pretty and
pleasing. Her name at that time was Helen
Louise Leonard, and she was christened Lii
Ian Russell 10y Tony Pastor because the COM
bination of "ls' in the name looked well on n
three sheet poster While at Tony Pastors
she was discovered by Mr.. l.. f. Rice,
who has probably employed more
pretty girls than any other man
in the theatrical business. Once with him
she became the furore. Hundreds of dollars
worth of flowers were sent 10 her almost
every night. She was made queen OF the
dudes without dissenting voice. Then her
marital idiosyncrases began to exhibit them
selves and everybody is familiar with her
more recent history.
Pauline Hall was the next stage beauty to
take dudedom by storm. She made her first
appearance in Rice's Eyangeine company in
the "front rown of the chorus She is Gin
cinnati girl, from "over tho Rhine" and her
real name Is, or was, Pauline Schmdtgall.
She is now, in the eyes of the law and to the
favored ones who have the honor of her ac-
qunintance, Mrs. White. She is always fore
most in any effort to assist unfortunate
members of the profession Personally she
is jolly and unaffected. She has studied hard
during the past few years, and has improved
wonderfully both in singing and acting.
Isabella Urquhart is, from purely artistic
standpoint, perhaps the most beautiful of
any who have held the scepter over New
York dudedom. With face and figure like
or bar a1a
the popular fancy at once. She still reigns,
aud by no means small number of theatre
goeis enthusiastically refer TO her as the most
beautiful woman on the stage. She, how
ever values her kingdom but lightly, and de
votes herself to study, her ambition being
centered in her art. She made her first APP
pearance at the Standard theatre, under
Henderson's management, and since has
played opposite to Pauline Hall at the Casino
Miss Urquhart is one of the cold and reserved
beauties, and keeps her admirers at very
respectful distance. She is one of the few
dude queens who have brains as we'll as
beauty. The breath of scandal has never
tainted her reputation, and this is possibly
the reason why we have not seen more of her
name in the papers.
Marie Jansen is chubby, roly poly, jolly
creature, who made her first appearance with
Ed. Rice in Boston some four or five years
ago. She then came to New York and took
the dudes by storm by her singing Of "Oh,
Mamma" in the Black Hussar Wherever
she went she was the idol of the dude contin-
gent. Now she is at the Casino and is recog-
nized as the especial pet of the gilded youths
who compose the Seventh regiment.
Mrs. Langtry can hardly be enrolled in this
category among the dude queens, for, though
| the ieunesse doree went crazy over her for
! time, she selected her own particular dude
| early in her career and stuck to him through
thick and thin. 1t is pretty definitely settled
now that she will marry Fred. Gebhardt so
soon as she can procure u divorce from her
husband. Her beauty has so often been de
scribed that people who see her are generally
disappointed. 1t consists mainly in a queenly
! carriage and a marvellous complexion added
to u certain charm OF manner which would
convince blind man that she must be love-
In addition to those have mentioned, there
! have been q number of lesser queens who
/ have risen, reigned over their little king
doms and relapsed into obscurity. Beauty il
the prime factor in the title of queenship, and
it is no easy matter TO preserve that quality
with the late hours, wine suppers and high
tension living which successful reigning over
dudedom requires. Stage beauties are much
more careful of their figures and compexons
than society bellies. The majority of them
have a regular system, which may not be un-
interesting to some Of my fair readers. TO
begin with il the stage beauty goes to bed
late she sleeps late, for there is nothing more
destructive to feminine good looks than lack
of sleep. Immediately upon rising she takes
a cool bath, not the cold tub" of
our English cousins, for that tends to
make the skin too ruddy, but just
enough hot water in the bath to take the chill
Oft. Then after being rubbed down she eats
a light breakfast OF fruit and oat meal. In
the morning she takes just enough exercise to
keep the flesh from becoming fiabby, not
enough to make it muscular, however.
Lunch is another light meal of fruit and
grain food. Fencing and boxing are prac-
ticed to keep the joints supple, and frequent
Turkish baths preserve the skin in good con-
dition. Some cover the face with paste of
oat meal to whiten the complexion; Others
| ,.o,I, tho foco orrlu in ,,utra COO1 mt cOld